Sports swinging exercise device and method

ABSTRACT

A method and a device are disclosed for improving performance in sports where a swinging motion is needed. In some embodiments, a swing resistance device may be attached to or be built into elongated sport apparatus, such as racquets, clubs, bats, sticks, and the like, configured to resist a swinging motion of the sport apparatus by capturing air and utilizing a force of air resistance, similar to a parachute. The swing resistance device is generally attached to the elongated sport apparatus by coupling components that allow the swing resistance device to freely rotate around the effective longitudinal axis of the elongated sport apparatus. During a swing, air resistance creates dynamic forces that over time may improve swing power and path.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. Non-ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 10/639,236, filed Sep. 11, 2003, which is now U.S.Pat. No. 7762929 and is a Continuation of U.S. Non-ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 12/843,829 filed Jul. 26, 2010, which is now U.S.Pat. No. 8,202,204 and claims the benefit of priority thereto.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to sports exercise. Morespecifically, this application relates to an exercise method andapparatus for improving performance in sports that include swinging of adevice such as a club, a racket, a bat, or the like.

SUMMARY

In aspects of present disclosure, an exercise device for swing sports isdisclosed including a swing resistance surface having a first end and asecond end. A first coupling component is coupled to the first end and asecond coupling component coupled to the second end allowing theexercise device to freely rotate about an elongated swing sportapparatus. The first coupling component and the second couplingcomponent are configured to attach to the elongated swing sportapparatus.

In further aspects of the present disclosure, an elongated swing sportapparatus is disclosed including a shaft, a first coupling component anda second coupling component coupled with the shaft, and a swingresistance surface coupled to the first and the second couplingcomponents and capable of freely rotating about the shaft. The swingresistance surface is configured to generate a drag force in response toa swinging motion of the elongated swing sport apparatus.

In still further aspects of the disclosure, a method of improving aswinging of an elongated swing sport apparatus is disclosed, includingswinging the elongated swing sport apparatus having a swing resistancedevice coupled therewith. The swing resistance device includes a swingresistance surface coupled with a coupling component attached to theelongated swing sport apparatus. The swing resistance surface can freelyrotate about a longitudinal axis of the elongated swing sport apparatusin response to the swinging of the elongated swing sport apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings, when considered in connection with the followingdescription, are presented for the purpose of facilitating anunderstanding of the subject matter sought to be protected.

FIGS. 1A-D show example environments and sport apparatus where a swingexercise device may be used;

FIG. 2 is an example swing exercise device as used in FIGS. 1A-D;

FIG. 3 is an example coupling component of the swing exercise deviceusable to attach the swing exercise device to the elongated sportapparatus; and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing an example process of using the swingexercise device with elongated sport apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present disclosure is described with reference to severalillustrative embodiments described herein, it should be clear that thepresent disclosure should not be limited to such embodiments. Therefore,the description of the embodiments provided herein is illustrative ofthe present disclosure and should not limit the scope of the disclosureas claimed. In addition, while following description references alimited number of sports and exercises with which the swing exercisedevice may be used, it will be appreciated that the disclosure may beused with other types of sports and physical activities, such asbadminton, cricket, racquetball, general fitness, physical therapy, andthe like.

Briefly described, a method and a device are disclosed for improvingperformance in sports or other physical activities where a swingingmotion is needed. In some embodiments, a swing resistance device may beattached to or be built into elongated sport apparatus, such asracquets, clubs, bats, sticks, and the like, configured to resist aswinging motion of the sport apparatus by capturing air and utilizing aforce of air resistance, similar to a parachute. The swing resistancedevice is generally attached to the elongated sport apparatus bycoupling components that allow the swing resistance device to rotatearound the effective longitudinal axis of the elongated sport apparatus.During a swing, air resistance pushes the swing resistance device to theback side of the elongated sport apparatus with respect to the directionof the swing, making the swing resistance device trail the elongatedsport apparatus along the swing's path. This way, air resistance createsdynamic forces that over time may improve swing power and swing path, asfurther described below in more detail.

Many popular sports or sporting games depend on some form of sportapparatus or equipment. One of the general types of sport apparatus iselongated sport apparatus, such as racquets, clubs, bats, sticks, andthe like, which are used in swing sports. Generally, in each swingsport, the elongated sport apparatus is used to hit a strike object,such as a ball, to throw the strike object towards some designatedtarget, such as a hole, a goal, a designated area, or just far away fromopponents. For example, in golf, a hole in the ground is targeted forthe golf ball, while in tennis, a predetermined area of the playingfield may be targeted for landing the tennis ball. The accuracy,trajectory, speed, and travel distance of the strike object mainly anddirectly depend on the quality of the swing of such elongated sportapparatus.

Each one of the elongated sport apparatus comes in many forms and sizes.For example, some form of racquet is used in many sports such as tennis,badminton, racquetball, squash, and the like. Similarly, some form ofbat is used in various sports, such as baseball and cricket. All ofthese elongated sport apparatus share the common traits of beingelongated and being used for a swinging action as appropriate for thesport or game. For example, a tennis racquet may be swung from behindthe player towards the player's front, while a golf club is generallyswung from overhead downwards. However, regardless of the relativedirection of motion, swinging techniques, and other parameters, such asone-handed swing, as in tennis, and two-handed swing, as in baseball,these elongated sport apparatus are swiftly swung through the air to hitthe strike object. The swift motion of the elongated sport apparatus maybe substantially slowed down by a front facing surface, with respect tothe direction of the motion of the swing, thus forcing the player toexert more force on the elongated sport apparatus to continue the swingat high speed.

Performance in the swing sports generally is highly dependent on thequality of the swing. When the swing does not follow a prescribed pathor trajectory, is not swift enough, or does not follow a particularsequence of body movements, such as moving the hips first and thenmoving shoulders in golf, then the ball (or other object used in thegame or sport for striking with the elongated sport apparatus) does notgo to the desired target area. Thus, to improve player performance in aswing sport, a self-adjusting, swing-resisting force that naturallyresults from the swing motion and dynamically adjusts the direction andamount of the swing-resisting force, may be used as an effective tool.

FIGS. 1A-D show example environments and sport apparatus where a swingexercise device may be used. FIG. 1A is an example racquet sport, suchas tennis or badminton, where a player 102 holds a racquet 104 having ashaft 106 to which a swing resistance surface 108 is attached viacoupling links 110 and coupling components 112. Coupling links 110 areattached to coupling component 112 and configured to freely rotate abouta longitudinal axis of shaft 106. In some embodiments, swing resistancesurface 108 is configured to be able to rotate 360 degrees about shaft106, while in other embodiments, swing resistance surface may beconstrained to be able to rotate fewer than 360 degrees about shaft 106,for example, 180 degrees. In some embodiments, coupling component 112 isa ring, configured to enclose shaft 106, having a rotatable mechanismsuch as a bushing to allow rotation about shaft 106. In otherembodiments, the rotatable mechanism includes a curved slot allowingcoupling links 110 to rotatably slide about shaft 106, as furtherdescribed below with respect to FIG. 3.

In various embodiments, swing resistance surface 108 is a light weightmembrane, such as a nylon membrane, while in other embodiments, it maybe a stiff or rigid light weight sheet, such as a plastic sheet. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that other types of swing resistancesurfaces may be utilized without departing from the spirit of thepresent disclosures.

In operation, as player 102 swings racquet 104, swing resistance surface108 is forced back by the air resistance and trails shaft 106 in thedirection of the swing. The free rotation of swing resistance surface108 about shaft 106 enables swing resistance surface 108 to dynamicallyadjust itself in response to the force and direction of air resistanceresulting from the swing. When racquet 104 is swung with sufficientforce and/or speed, a substantial force generated by swing resistancesurface 108 is transmitted to and experienced by player 102 resulting ina stiffer swing, where same force applied by player 102 results in aslower but more forceful swing. This stiff swing felt by player 102 mayresult in two kinds of actions: one, muscles involved in the swing areworked more intensely and thus become stronger with repeated swings overtime, and two, the sequence of body movements resulting in the swing issubstantially optimized for maximal swing efficiency and optimal swingpath traversal, as further described below.

Using the swing resistance device, the sequence of player's bodymovements resulting in the swing is substantially optimized becauseencountering extra resistance at every point in the path of the swing,the body seeks to find the path and sequence of motions that encounterthe least resistance, and/or find a sequence of motion during which theplayer's body can more effectively exert force without losing balance.For example, in a tennis forehand swing, optimally, the hips move aheadof the shoulders followed by the swinging arm. This sequence providesmaximum power to the tennis racquet, each group of muscles working intandem and building upon the work of the muscles in the previous musclegroup and/or part of the sequence. If the arm swings ahead of its propersequence, player feels out of balance due to exerted forces and cannotdeliver maximum power to the racquet. When the sequence is correct, theplayer can exert more force on the racquet. Thus the playerautomatically feels the corrective forces of swing resistance device andadjusts his movements accordingly to optimize the power he can deliverto the sport apparatus, in this case, the racquet. Additionally, straylateral movements that do not contribute to the swing are discouragedbecause every lateral movement also causes a resistance in the oppositedirection tending to imbalance the player. Thus, the swing becomes“clean” and follows the desired path and results in substantiallyoptimal swing path traversal. The player's body and its muscle memoryautomatically learn the lowest path of resistance resulting in optimizedswings. In effect, the dynamic resistive forces generated by the swingresistance surface provide an effective feedback for the player's bodyto adjust its sequence of motion and the swing path.

FIGS. 1B-D show additional example sports that use elongated sportapparatus. FIG. 1B shows a baseball player 122 handling a bat 124 havinga swing resistance surface 128 coupled with bat 124 via coupling links130 and coupling components 132.

FIG. 1C shows a golf player 142 handling a golf club 144 having a swingresistance surface 148 coupled with golf club 144 via coupling links 150and coupling components 152.

FIG. 1D shows a Kendo (Japanese stick-sword fighting sport) player 162handling a stick 164 having a shaft 166 coupled with a swing resistancesurface 168 via coupling links 170 and coupling components 172.

FIG. 2 is an example swing exercise device as used in FIGS. 1A-D. Swingexercise device 200 includes a swing resistance surface 202, flaps 218,stiffener elements 204 and 206, coupling links 214 and 216, and shaftcoupling components 208 and 210. Shaft coupling components 208 and 210are generally coupled with shaft 212 of elongated sport apparatus. Insome embodiments, swing resistance surface 202 is directly coupled tothe coupling components 208 and 210, without using intermediate couplinglinks. In various embodiments, swing resistance surface 202 is taperedfrom a first broader end to a second narrower end, each terminated in acorresponding stiffener element. In other embodiments, swing resistancesurface 202 is substantially rectangular. In still other embodiments,swing resistance surface 202 has other shapes, such as oval, triangularor irregular.

In some embodiments, swing resistance surface 202 is configured toprovide different amounts of resistance at different points along theshaft of the elongated sport apparatus. For example, if more resistanceis needed at the tip of the elongated sport apparatus farthest from theplayer's hand, then the swing resistance surface is made broader nearthe tip to produce more drag. Stiffeners 204 and 206 are used tomaintain swing resistance surface 202 in an open configuration tomaximize drag. In various embodiments, coupling links 214 and 216 aremade of cables, such as steel or nylon cables, while in otherembodiments, coupling links 214 and 216 are made of rigid wires.Coupling links 214 and 216 are attached to coupling components 208 and210 in a configuration that enables free rotation of swing resistancesurface 202 about the longitudinal axis of shaft 212.

In some embodiments, flaps 218 may be provided that may be opened to letair through during a swing and reduce air resistance. Such flaps may beuseful for adjusting the amount of resistance desired. Various knownmechanisms, such as Velcro fasteners, zippers, and the like, may be usedto close or open flaps 218.

In various embodiments, swing exercise device 200 may be built into theelongated sport apparatus designed especially for swing exercise. Insuch embodiments, coupling components 208 and 210 may be permanentlyfixed to shaft 212, eliminating the necessity of attaching the couplingcomponents to the shaft and adjusting the distances between the couplingcomponents, firmness of attachment and other such overhead.

FIG. 3 is an example coupling component of the swing exercise deviceusable to attach the swing exercise device to the elongated sportapparatus. In various embodiments, coupling component 300 includes aninner ring 302 having an opening 304 is configured to enclose a shaft312 of an elongated sport apparatus, such as a club or a bat. A latch306 attached to inner ring 302 is configured to lock inner ring 302around shaft 312 by hooking or otherwise attaching to lugs 308. Multiplelugs 308 may be used to provide various degrees of tightness of innerring 302 around shaft 312. A curved slot 310 is created between innerring 302 and outer ring 318 where loops 316 of coupling links 314 aredeployed. Curved slot 310, in effect, creates a rotation path for theswing resistance surface about shaft 312. Coupling links 314 areconfigured to slide freely along curved slot 310 via loops 316. In someembodiments, inner ring 302 is made of supple and elastic material suchas firm rubber to allow a firm grip on shaft 312 without substantialslippage during a fast swing action. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that many other fastening and locking methods may be devisedfor wrapping coupling components or rings around a shaft withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present disclosures.

In other embodiments, coupling component 300 may include a bushingbetween an inner ring and an outer ring to allow rotation about theshaft. In still other embodiments, and inner ring and an outer ring maybe coupled together with bearings to minimize any friction duringrotation of the swing exercise device.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing an example process of using the swingexercise device with sport apparatus. The swing exercise process 400proceeds to block 410 where an elongated swing sport apparatus isobtained to begin swinging exercise. The process proceeds to block 420.

At block 420, it is ascertained whether the elongated swing sportapparatus has a swing exercise device attached. If so, the processproceeds to block 440, otherwise, at block 430 a swing exercise deviceis attached to the elongated swing sport apparatus using couplingcomponents, such as the one described with respect to FIG. 3. Theprocess proceeds to block 440.

At block 440, the elongated swing sport apparatus, for example, a clubor a bat, is swung by a player or user in accordance with the techniquescustomary and appropriate for the corresponding sport or game.Repetition of this step over time may improve muscle tone, swing motioncoordination, body movement sequencing, and swing path traversal, aspreviously described.

Next, the process proceeds to block 450 and terminates.

While the present disclosure has been described in connection with whatis considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isunderstood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosedembodiments, but is intended to cover various arrangements includedwithin the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

1. An exercise device for swing sports, the exercise device comprising:a swing resistance surface having a first end and a second end; and afirst coupling component rotatably coupled to the first end and a secondcoupling component rotatably coupled to the second end, wherein thefirst coupling component and the second coupling component areconfigured to attach to an elongated swing sport apparatus.
 2. Theexercise device of claim 1, further comprising a first stiffener elementcoupled to the first end and a second stiffener element coupled to thesecond end.
 3. The exercise device of claim 1, further comprising afirst coupling link connected between the first coupling component andthe first end and a second coupling link connected between the secondcoupling component and the second end.
 4. The exercise device of claim3, wherein the first coupling link and the second coupling link comprisecables.
 5. The exercise device of claim 3, wherein the first couplinglink and the second coupling link comprise rigid wires.
 6. The exercisedevice of claim 1, wherein the swing resistance surface is a membrane.7. An elongated swing sport apparatus comprising: a shaft; a firstcoupling component and a second coupling component coupled with theshaft; and a swing resistance surface rotatably coupled to the first andthe second coupling components, wherein the swing resistance surface isconfigured to generate a drag force in response to a swinging motion ofthe elongated swing sport apparatus.
 8. The elongated swing sportapparatus of claim 7, wherein the elongated swing sport apparatus isselected from a set of a tennis racquet, a golf club, a baseball bat,and a stick.
 9. A method of improving a swinging of an elongated swingsport apparatus, the method comprising: swinging the elongated swingsport apparatus having a swing resistance device coupled therewith,wherein the swing resistance device comprises a swing resistance surfacecoupled with a coupling component rotatably coupled with the elongatedswing sport apparatus, and wherein the swing resistance surface rotatesabout a longitudinal axis of the elongated swing sport apparatus inresponse to the swinging of the elongated swing sport apparatus.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising attaching the swing resistancedevice to a shaft section of the elongated swing sport apparatus. 11.The method of claim 9, wherein swinging the elongated swing sportapparatus comprises swinging a tennis racquet, a golf club, a baseballbat, or a stick.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein swinging theelongated swing sport apparatus comprises swinging the elongated swingsport apparatus with sufficient speed and force to generate asubstantial drag force on the elongated swing sport apparatus.
 13. Themethod of claim 9, wherein swinging the elongated swing sport apparatuscomprises swinging the elongated swing sport apparatus with both arms ofa player.